A US flag is reflected on the ground as passengers make their way through Reagan National Airport in Washington, the United States, July 1, 2016. REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque / File Photo / File Photo

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (Reuters) – The United States is preparing for long lines and delays on Monday as restrictions on international travelers without U.S. citizens fully vaccinated against the coronavirus are lifted, a senior official said on Monday Friday opposite Reuters.

President Joe Biden’s administration “expects a backlog of travel, which means longer waiting times for travelers,” the official said. The government increased staffing levels to pre-pandemic levels, but “long lines are expected in the first few days”.

The United States will lift travel restrictions on fully vaccinated air travelers from 33 countries and on its land borders with Mexico and Canada on Monday, and end historic travel bans to combat the spread of COVID-19 to much of the world’s population.

The official said land border traffic was around 70% of 2019 levels on the southwest border and 30% of 2019 levels on the northern border.

US Customs and Border Protection “will continue to adjust its resources to meet traffic congestion requirements and maintain operational safety while balancing its trade facilitation and national security mission,” the official said. Travelers should familiarize themselves with the new guidelines and have their records ready in advance, the official said.

Delta Airlines (FROM N) Chief Executive Ed Bastian also said travelers should prepare for long lines starting Monday.

“At first it will be a bit sloppy. I can assure you that there will unfortunately be queues … but we will fix it,” said Bastian.

Delta said it has seen a 450% increase in international point-of-sale bookings in the six weeks since it was reopening in the US.

United Airlines expects about 50% more international incoming passengers on Monday compared to November 1, when there were about 20,000.

The Biden administration has held several talks with U.S. airlines to prepare for the influx of additional travelers who will arrive at the country’s airports.

The restrictions introduced in early 2020 during the pandemic blocked most non-US citizens who had been in any of 33 countries within the last 14 days – the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, Great Britain and Ireland.

Also on Monday, new contact tracing rules will come into effect, obliging airlines to collect information from international air passengers when necessary “in order to track travelers who have been exposed to COVID-19 variants or other pathogens.”

Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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